Older Athletes: Where Did Everybody Go?

As an older athlete, I do try to age gracefully. This is a feat full of puzzlement, disappointment and plenty of detours, but one that ultimately has me asking, “Where DID everybody else go?”

Okay, I get it. I am weird.

I eat “healthy”, avoid those fun things (junk food, alcohol) that youth forgave until it did not, seek quality sleep, and of course, exercise.

The discipline that enabled me to successfully compete as a younger person, is still a means to an end in pushing this body through the frustrations that age and environment inflicts on the human body. There is still a rhyme and reason to how my current body performs. The tune just keeps changing.

Going with the Flow

One of my joys of participating in team sports was learning about changing priorities in the moment. Were we chasing a breakaway or maneuvering another rider into an optimal position? It depended on who WE were at that moment.

That same acceptance of changing priorities followed me as I grew into life. Team strategies from the road became adapted to meeting business goals in the working world. People came and went but thoughtful actions were always a part of getting older.

I guess I missed the memo, but while I motored on adapting training discipline, many folks began to opt out.

I know the list. Family, work, and education take priority (there were plenty of times I slacked on self in order to meet challenges) but I always returned to the discipline of the athlete. Like many experiences in life, once learned, that is part of who I am.

Time Changes Things, Of Course

Endurance sports have always been a contemplation room for me. Thoughts and ideas wander through my mind as my body cranks out the miles.

One such observation struck the other day. “Where did all the older athletes go?”

We were young together once and there were lots of us. Then life happened, but I am still out here working out, only without a lot of company. Working out alone is okay, but why stop entirely? I worked on a list of possibilities.

Changing Physiology.

 I think of this one as the “I stepped on the gas and nothing happened.” Betrayal by the body becomes a frequent occurrence with age. We get used to it but still do not like it.

Stuff I Need to Do. 

We are busy. I get it. Figuring out what is important takes time and work. Suck it up and do it anyway. You are always more important than the stuff you need to do. Invest in yourself.

Going to the Gym. 

Some of us have shifted exercise priorities. Rightly so as our bodies like to throw us curves often. I built a home gym (my garage), so maybe everyone signed up at proper gyms instead. I sure hope so, anyway.

Group Identity. 

A bit of a corollary to Stuff I Need to Do, but important in today’s environment. Loyalty to the team is always important, but the health of the individual needs to be balanced against tribalism that holds little concern for its members. 

As a group, older athletes have a lot on our plate, I get it. We also have some mad skills at managing our life that we honed over the years. Use them to our advantage.

Joining the Older Athlete Club After All These Years

I love following what is happening at my old high school (even though it is on the opposite coast), as younger generations pass through the educational experience to accept the torch passed from older ones. The disquieting part, however, is the “In Memorium” listing of those who have recently passed. As more of my classmates are listed over time, my perspective has adapted.

Life is too short.

Lifestyle is everything. A well-established sense of humor appears to be a requirement for navigating the demands of all that the world throws at us. To make that difference that is important to each of us, we need to cherish the gifts we have discovered. We were together once, thriving in competition.

That world of our youth has changed but much of it is still there.

Come on out and play.

“In a world full of spectators, be the player.”
― Michael Bassey Johnson